(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety device for a bicycle carrier for children which aids in preventing tipping of the bicycle while it is in motion. In particular the present invention relates to a safety device having a harness which uniquely engages a seat member and a frame supporting the seat member mounted on the bicycle so as to restrain upper body movement of the child.
(2) Prior Art
The prior art has described a number of restraint devices for chairs, wheelchairs and the like. Illustrative are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,652,183 to Hlivka; 3,099,486 to Scott; 3,136,581 to Caballero; 3,604,750 to Doering; 3,713,692 to McCracken et al; 4,050,737 to Jordan; 4,235,474 to Rosenberg and 4,330,152 to Legan et al. None of these devices will prevent sideways movement of the upper body of the person in the chair and in fact there would be no reason to do so since limited sideways movement is desirable in most instances for persons confined in a chair.
The prior art has described many seat belt devices for relatively fast moving wheeled vehicles, such as for infant car seats and for bicycle carriers. Illustrative of various bicycle carriers for children are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,746,392 to German; 3,802,598 to Burger et al; 3,902,737 to Berger et al; 4,022,488 to Likas; 4,051,985 to Berger; 4,053,091 to Martelet; 4,085,968 to Svensson et al; 4,367,829 to Kusz and 4,440,331 to Schimmels. There is no attempt in the devices of these patents to restrain the upper body movement of a child seated in the carrier.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,616,349 to Cagle; 3,380,776 to Dillender and 4,436,341 to Converse show various restraint devices for use in automobiles which is a much different setting than a two wheeled bicycle. In an automobile sideways upper body movement has no visible affect on the vehicle and is usually regarded as being desirable.
The problem in riding a bicycle, especially a two wheeled bicycle, with a child as a passenger is that child carriers are mounted above the center of gravity of the bicycle and usually behind the seat of the person peddling the bicycle. When a child weighing between about 20 to 40 pounds for instance is seated in the carrier and the upper body is allowed to move sideways, the result is that the child can tip over the bicycle, particularly in a turn. When the bicycle turns a corner the centrifugal force on the child and movement of the upper body sideways urges the bicycle away from the turn tending to tip the bicycle. Finally, the forward movement of the upper body of a child when the bicycle stops even with a lap belt causes the person operating the bicycle to reach back with a hand to keep the upper body of the child from moving forward. If the child's upper body moves forward, the person operating the bicycle can receive a jolt in the back which can also cause injury to the head or neck of the child. All of these problems make bicycle riding hazardous for the children and for the person propelling the bicycle.